Sa'ad bin Laden, the son of arch-terrorist Osama bin Laden, has been killed by a US drone attack in Pakistan, US officials told the National Public Radio station (NPR) in a report aired on Wednesday.

The report quoted a senior US counterterrorism official, who said that while Sa'ad bin Laden was active in al-Qaida, he was not a major figure in the terror organization, and was not important enough to target personally. It was therefore assumed that he was simply "in the wrong place at the wrong time," the official said.

While the report of his death was "80 to 85 percent certain," the official said that no body had yet been found. The report did not detail what facts led the US to make the assumption that he was killed.

Expect Secretary of State Mrs. Bill Clinton to issue a statement of apology by the end of the day, pull out a red button, push it and vow to re-set relations with al-Qaida.